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“I Admire Him”: Michael Jordan Heaped Massive Praise for 20-Year-Old Tiger Woods Before the Two Legends Became Friends

Published 09/09/2022, 4:30 PM EDT

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Michael Jordan recognized Tiger’s greatness before the world did. Woods went on to become one of the greatest golfers ever, who is also an admirer of Jordan. Jordan is an avid golfer and has met Woods on the field several times.

In an interview with Jay Leno on ‘The Tonight Show’, Jordan was asked whether he would try pro golf and teach then rookie Tiger Woods some lessons. Jordan responded and said, “I admire him. I’ve been watching him ever since he turned pro and he’s gonna make the tour. He’s done a heck of a job for the game of Golf.” From that statement, it was apparent how Tiger was already a big name already at 20 years of age.

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Jordan has been golfing as a hobby for more than three decades. He frequently played the game during his professional career. He used to play it to re-charge himself and relax his mind. This hobby of his stuck out after his retirement. It is widely reported that he had a handicap of 1.3 which made him better than any celebrity golfer.

via Getty

The Bulls Legend became good friends with Woods after meeting him in various tournaments. He is often seen in major tournaments and Tours and has his golf court called ‘The Grove XXIII’. It is a private members’ court and has had just 80 members since it got inaugurated in 2019.

Read more: Dennis Rodman, Who Contemplated Taking His Own Life, Fell Asleep While Listening to Rock Band With Over 85 Million Albums Sold: “I Liked the Group”

The court is designed to favor Jordan and provide obstacles to his opponents. It is an extension of the competitive spirit he still has since his playing days.

Woods is a big fan of Michael Jordan and LeBron James

Woods is very notable a fan of Michael Jordan too. He had his views too, in regards to the LeBron-Jordan debate. He said, “They are both great in different ways. Look at MJ, he was a prolific scorer and played defense like no other. Always first-team all-defense.

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The 15-time major winner then added, “But LeBron is different. He’s like a hybrid of MJ and Magic (Johnson), which is so different because he brings the ball up a lot. MJ never really did that, I mean he had pip as a point forward a lot of times… They’re both very different in how they both help their teams.”

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This provides an interesting backdrop to a friendship shared by Jordan and Woods. It is to be noted that even Jordan thinks the same way about this debate. Hence, it would not drive a wedge in their relationship.

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Watch this Story:Bill Russell Career: When Did The Celtics Legend Retire?

What do you think of MJ’s views on Tiger? Discuss in the comments below.

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Written by:

Aditya Kar

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Aditya Kar is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. A holder of Bachelors and Masters degrees in History, he has been a fan of the NBA since 2011. He has a very keen interest in the stories that define the league and the sport.
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Edited by:

Pritam Priyedarshi